Eight brand new productions will celebrate being human, with the aim of giving audiences visceral, moving and uplifting experiences. The season includes three collaborations with companies across Wales and England.
As previously announced, Sherman Theatre’s 2027 season gets underway with Francesca Goodridge’s (Our Town, Welsh National Theatre, Snake in the Grass, Theatr Clwyd) first production as Artistic Director – Monument by Rhys Warrington, a co-production with London’s Royal Court Theatre. Monument will run at the Sherman 29 Jan–13 Feb 2027 following performances at the Royal Court Theatre 3 Dec 2026–23 Jan 2027. The Sherman performances are supported by the Colwinston Charitable Trust. Rhys is the recipient of the second Davidson PlayGC Bursary, supported by PlayGC Theatre Company and the Alan Davidson Foundation.
In keeping with Sherman Theatre’s reputation for innovative new takes on classic texts for contemporary audiences (Odyssey ‘84, Romeo and Julie), its second production of 2027 will tackle one of the most famous of all plays. Francesca Goodridge will direct Macbeth [re]imagined (12-27 March 2027); a visceral, radical new version of Shakespeare’s play about the devastating consequences of unchecked personal ambition, set in today’s manosphere. This female-driven Made by Sherman production includes additional scenes and dialogue by writer and actor Rebecca Jade Hammond (Hot Chicks, Sherman Theatre & Grand Ambition). Fusing real-time digital content creation, physical theatre, explosive movement, live music and spoken word, this accessible production offers a Macbeth for the online generation alongside fresh new insights for those who can quote it already. The cast includes Mared Jarman (Hero of the People, Tilting at Windmills, Sherman Theatre) as Lady Macbeth, with further casting to be announced.
Macbeth [re]imagined will use integrated BSL and captioning. This means all shows will have BSL signing, audio description (without requiring headsets) and captioning built into the design of the show. It will be the latest production created as part of the Craidd collaboration which strives to make Welsh theatre the most accessible in the world and follows Theatr Clwyd’s highly successful Under Milk Wood earlier this year. Sherman Theatre is proud to be one of the five Craidd partner organisations. Craidd is made possible by support from Arts Council of Wales.
Sherman Theatre and Theatr Clwyd will co-produce the premiere of Princess of Wales (8-23 Oct 2027) by International Emmy-award-winning Daf James (Lost Boys and Fairies, BBC; Tylwyth, Sherman Theatre/Theatr Cymru). James’s epic drama charts the unravelling of a Grangetown family across two momentous days in his generation’s history – the Royal Wedding of 1981 and the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. A big-hearted, state-of-the-nation play, Princess of Wales tackles national myth and private grief, the stories we’re given that shape who we think we are and the power of the past to make us more human.
The Sherman has a long-held reputation for giving audiences of all ages distinctive, actor-musician-led Christmas entertainment. That tradition will continue into 2027 when writer Hannah McPake will follow-up her festive hits Tales of the Brothers Grimm and Alice: Return to Wonderland with a fresh new Cardiffian twist on Robert Louis Stevenson’s pirate tale. Treasure Island(ish) digs into Cardiff’s past as a haven for pirates and smugglers and pays tribute to classic 80’s treasure hunt films to create a fun-filled, action-packed adventure for everyone aged 7+. Treasure Island(ish) plays in the Main House (26 Nov–31 Dec 2027).
Meanwhile, in the Studio, Hanna Jarman’s new telling of Billy Goats Gruff/Y Tri Bwch Gafr (22 Nov-31 Dec 2027) will be a celebration of kindness, togetherness and looking out for one another. Performed separately in English and Welsh, Billy Goats Gruff/ Y Tri Bwch Gafr promises to be an entrancing introduction to the magic of live theatre for audiences aged 3-6.
In May 2027, Sherman Theatre will stage its 12th collaboration with Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama for their NEW festival; just one element of a deep partnership with the College. The 2027 Sherman commission for NEW is Civilisation by playwright and actor Matthew Bulgo (Constellation Street, The Other Room) which will be directed by Kwame Owusu (Assistant Director Romeo & Julie, Sherman Theatre & National Theatre). Civilisation is a ferocious, absurdist comedy about our species’ tendency towards selfishness in a time of collective catastrophe.
2027 will see the 100th anniversary of Cardiff City’s FA Cup win; to this day they are the only winners of the trophy outside England. This milestone will be marked at Sherman Theatre by two special community-led productions. The first is Love, Cardiff: Football Stories (8-10 July 2027), the latest in the Sherman’s series of verbatim plays bringing the stories and words of its communities to its stages. Football Stories has been created in partnership with Cardiff City FC’s official charity, Cardiff City FC Community Foundation, and will be performed by the Sherman’s non-professional ensemble, Sherman Players. The play weaves together the story of the club and their historic FA cup win, with contemporary tales of people whose lives have been impacted by the beautiful game. Love, Cardiff: Football Stories is directed by Francesca Pickard (Love, Cardiff: 50 years of your stories, Sherman Theatre).
The second production is a new adaptation of Maurice Maeterlinck’s The Blue Bird. This little known but important literary work, premiered by Stanislavski’s world-famous Moscow Art Theatre, is the unlikely source of Cardiff City’s nickname. The club switched from their original Riverside FC chocolate-and-amber kit to their well-known blue-and-white strip in 1910, and when the play was performed at Cardiff’s New Theatre in October 1911, such was the buzz across the city that it gave rise to a new moniker for the team. The Blue Bird will be performed by members of Sherman Youth Theatre, aged 8 to 18.
Sherman Theatre has also announced five writers who are commissioned to write for its audiences beyond 2027: Azuka Oforka, Emily Burnett (co-commission with Royal & Derngate, Northampton), Jennifer Lunn, Katie Elin-Salt and Sian Owen (co-commission with Rose Theatre in Kingston upon Thames).
Sherman Theatre is delighted to be a recipient with Rhys Warrington of one of five Peter Shaffer Commissions given to theatres by the Sir Peter Shaffer Charitable Foundation and administrated by the National Theatre. Rhys’s play Taliesin, unfolding across two timelines, is a theatrical collision of love, grief and architecture. It follows the ‘grandfather of American architecture’ Frank Lloyd Wright and the building of his beloved, but also infamous house, Taliesin – home to his family, his practice… and a terrible murder. Commissioned for a Made by Sherman production in a future season, Taliesin is testament to Sherman Theatre’s ambition to platform exceptional Welsh writing talent on a large scale.
Monument and Macbeth [re]imagined will be on sale to Sherman+ Members on 15 Sept 2026, Sherman Members on 17 Sept 2026 and general sale on 18 Sept 2026. All other productions go on sale in late November 2026.
Parallel with the new programme will be a series of game-changing new artistic programmes to future-proof artistic leadership in Wales, to nurture and develop Welsh and Wales-based artists, to safeguard the future of the Welsh literary canon and to help the sector flourish.
The Future Leaders of Wales – Carne Associate Director programme will address a recognised gap in leadership pathways for theatre directors in Wales.
Its aim is to help build a pipeline of future Artistic Directors rooted in Wales, ensuring that when leadership roles arise, organisations have skilled Welsh directors ready to step into them. This multi-year programme will offer three 18-month, full-time Associate Director roles over five years. The Associate Directors will be embedded in the Sherman and will gain experience in programming, organisational strategy, fundraising, partnerships, governance and staff management. Applications open today through Sherman Theatre’s website. Supported by Philip Carne MBE and Christine Carne.
Safeguarding the future of the Welsh theatrical canon will be a key focus of the Sherman’s literary activity. Sherman Theatre will work to achieve this through two programmes designed to nurture professional writers’ careers: Writers in Residence and Canon Cymraeg. The Sherman will launch a new Writers in Residence programme in partnership with Stiwdio Clwyd in 2027. Canon Cymraeg seeks to provide early-career, Welsh-language writers with training and access to bespoke support to develop an idea for a piece of work. The aim of this 12-month, paid attachment programme is for the artists to leave with a strong treatment to pitch their work to the Sherman and its programme partners. Applications open today through Sherman Theatre’s website. Canon Cymraeg is made possible with a grant from the Simon Gibson Charitable Trust and is delivered in partnership with Frân Wen and Theatr Cymru.
Two further programmes will help to develop Welsh and Wales-based writers. Location: STAGE, which is supported by Bad Wolf, will offer artists who have never written for the stage one of two seed commissions for debut plays. As previously announced, Sherman Theatre is proud to be the Welsh partner organisation for the Unlimited Partner Awards 2026/27 which help disabled artists bring ambitious new work to life. This award will give a Welsh or Wales-based disabled writer £20,000 that includes a commission from Sherman to dream and develop a new play for its Studio. The awards are funded by Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales and the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
2027 will see Sherman Theatre and Theatr Clwyd, its partner in north Wales, collaborate ever more closely through Stiwdio Clwyd to nurture theatre-makers across the country through bespoke development support. Sherman Theatre and Stiwdio Clwyd will continue to offer opportunities to connect with world-leading playwrights through the hugely popular Write With… series as well as work together to support exciting new Welsh directors to observe Artistic Director Francesca Goodridge in rehearsals on her productions of Monument and Macbeth [re]imagined.
A new cohort of Associate Artists will join the company; a dynamic, cross-disciplinary group who will act as both trusted advisors to the Artistic Director and ambassadors for the theatre. The Sherman’s Associate Artists are: playwright and screenwriter Azuka Oforka, writer, composer and performer Daf James, composer, sound designer and musical director Dyfan Jones, writer, director and actor Hannah McPake, set and costume designer Hayley Grindle, movement director and choreographer Jess Williams, actor and writer Mared Jarman, director and dramaturg Patricia Logue, writer and actor Rhys Warrington and actor, lecturer in acting, and podcast and radio presenter Suzanne Packer.
Also joining the Sherman’s artistic family will be two new Companies in Residence, both of which are boundary-pushing companies creating innovative, non-traditional work. Coven Xperience is an experiential arts company dedicated to creating groundbreaking, spatial sound experiences that amplify those who feel outside the circle, while Matsena Productions is a performance company focusing on physical storytelling while drawing on the Zimbabwean heritage and Black Welsh identity of the brothers who founded it. Both companies will be embedded within the core team. Sherman Theatre will act as a creative home where ideas can evolve and risks can be taken. Conversely, the Sherman will benefit from exposure to new practices and ways of working to further develop its work for audiences.
Sherman Theatre’s Literary Department is supported by Arts Council of Wales.
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Meanwhile, a new bursary scheme has been launched across the Sherman’s creative engagement programmes to support those facing financial barriers to participation. Applications are open through Sherman Theatre’s website.
Sherman Theatre – whose foyer hums with activity all year round – will continue to be a place where all south Wales communities can come together. The Sherman’s role as an active civic resource will continue through initiatives including Theatre of Sanctuary, Chatty Café, Cardiff Foodbank, Sherman Youth Theatre and Sherman Players.
The Sherman Makers scheme provides opportunities to participate in making theatre for Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent people as well as anyone who faces barriers. After a successful first year, Sherman Makers will enter an exciting new phase as its members will be helping to realise elements of the Main House production of Macbeth [re]imagined as part of Craidd.
Announcing the 2027 season, Francesca Goodridge said: “I am thrilled to share my first season of work at the Sherman, launching programmes that speak directly to what artists need now and a bold slate of productions that connect our extraordinary stories and talent to the world.
“The Future Leaders of Wales – Carne Associate Director programme is especially personal to me; early in my own career, an opportunity like this opened a door, changed my career and gave me the experience and understanding to be able to step into a leadership role and do my dream job. We want to ensure that same opportunity becomes available to others.
“Today’s announcement represents bold plans for artists and profound ambition for audiences and communities across south Wales and beyond. Our record for developing artists and the theatrical canon, serving audiences with exceptional theatre and acting as a civic resource with inclusivity at its heart will be built on further. Long-recognised as Wales’s leading new writing theatre, our ambition is to see the Sherman grow to become the nation’s new work engine.
“Theatre is a living, breathing force, and this season brings together artists and voices with something urgent and undeniable to say. This work confirms our place as a leading venue in UK theatre, making ambitious productions with Welsh artists firmly at their centre. This building is alive – and at its heart is a fierce, beating commitment to creativity, to artists and to Wales.”